Way Better Patent Box Scores

Patents @ April 22, 2014

Weekly Volume Is Up

This week USPTO granted 6,731 utility, design, and plant patents representing the work of 18,227 named inventors

As of April 22, 2014 USPTO has granted 85,268 utility patents this year consisting of 16,357 (19.2%) chemical domain patents; 46,030 (54.0%) electrical domain patents; and 22,881 (26.8%) mechanically–focused patents. This reflects a +3.66% increase year over year (+3.66%Y/Y) for all utility patent grants with +4.27%Y/Y for chemical patents; +3.70%Y/Y for electrical patents; and +3.14%Y/Y performance for mechanical patents. To date 6,578 design patents (-5.33%Y/Y) have been granted along with 268 (+3.88%Y/Y) plant patents.

This week's top ten patent classifications accounted for 21.6% of new grants. Information-based patents accounted for 82.4% of these patents. Forty-seven patents contained cross–reference classifications in class 705, business methods patents which are essentially digital inventions. This is in addition to the 138 that had a primary classification, original classification (OR) in patent–speak, in class 705. Electrical patents patents related to semi–conductors, computers, networking technology, location services, and telecommunications accounted for 3,387 of this week's grants. Within the chemical domain semiconductor device manufacturing accounted for 121 new patents, radiation imagery chemistry contributed another 48, and electrical current producing apparatus, product and process inventions accounted for 54.

As of April 22, 2014 USPTO has granted 85,268 utility patents this year consisting of 16,357 (19.2%) chemical domain patents; 46,030 (54.0%) electrical domain patents; and 22,881 (26.8%) mechanically–focused patents. This reflects a +3.66% increase year over year (+3.66%Y/Y) for all utility patent grants with +4.27%Y/Y for chemical patents; +3.70%Y/Y for electrical patents; and +3.14%Y/Y performance for mechanical patents. To date 6,578 design patents (-5.33%Y/Y) have been granted along with 268 (+3.88%Y/Y) plant patents.

Corrections total 6,015 year–to–date. USPTO added another 487 new corrections this week. It would be nice if USPTO made information on corrections more accessible.

This week the global breakdown shows US first–named inventors receiving 3,376 (50.1%) of the week's grants and foreign first–named inventors receiving 3,369 (49.9%) of the new grants. The top ten foreign country recipients were responsible for 83.9% of all of the foreign patents received this week and 41.9% of all patents. The top ten US states received 69.6% of US patents and 34.8% of all patents.

Japan (1,125) led the recipients of new US patents from foreign and Asian inventors. This is 33.4% of the patents granted for foreign first–named inventors and 16.7% of all patents. Germany (353) led European inventors. This week inventors from the European Union (EU) received 983 of the 1,050 patents with first–named inventors from European countries. North American first–named inventors received 3,548 patents this week, 52.6% of the total patents granted.

Inventors

This week's utility, design, and plant patents represent the work of 18,227 named inventors. Utility patents average 2.8 inventors per patent. Design and Plant patents average 1.9 and 1.2, respectively.

Plant Patents

Plant Patents are granted to an inventor who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces a distinct and new variety of plant, other than a tuber propagated plant or a plant found in an uncultivated state. If you've ever eaten a pluot, you've enjoyed the fruit of a plant patent. This week USPTO granted 9 new plant patents, (268 so far this year).

North American patents accounted for 3,548 of the total patents granted this week. The count includes the 3,376 patents granted to US first–named inventors; and inventions awarded to Canada (167) and Mexico (4); Bermuda (1). North American inventors received 52.6% of all patents granted this week.

Central American and Caribbean based inventors received 1 patent this week awarded to a first–named inventor from Cuba (1).

South American participation included seven (7): Brazil (4), followed by Chile (2); and Argentina (1).

There were four (4) African grantees this week: South Africa (3), followed by Guinea (1).

Oceania based inventors were granted 60 patents — Australia (52), followed by New Zealand (8).

(Way Better Patents™ organizes its Global Indicators based on the region designations assigned by the US CIA World Fact Book.)